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Broken Dreams


Traci Hunter Abramson - 2021
    Now a coach, her father Gordon is living his dreams through the skaters he trains—until Maggie is forced to deliver heartbreaking news: her mother’s battle against cancer will be a losing one. Shattered, her father loses his dreams in an instant—his beloved wife and his will to coach. Left to pick up the pieces, a devastated Maggie finds herself relying on the steadfast support of her childhood best friend, Lance Whitmore. Despite the fact that Maggie has never seen Lance as more than a friend, his heart has always been hers. Lance does what he can to help Maggie work through her grief, and soon their friendship blossoms into love. But when distance threatens their relationship, Maggie is torn between building a life with the man she loves and helping her broken father rebuild his life.

A Christmas Bell for Anya


Chris Stewart - 2006
    But in a small Siberian village famous for producing the finest Christmas bells in the world, the townspeople made their usual preparations for a Christmas tradition that went back many generations. For eight-year-old Anya and her widowed father, this Christmas had special significance. This Christmas, Anya was one of the girls chosen from the village to ring in Christmas morn with her very own Christmas bell. This beautifully illustrated story underscores the true reason for celebrating Christ’s birth. First presented at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s 2005 Christmas concerts by acclaimed British actress, Claire Bloom, the demand for a print version of the story has been tremendous. A CD and DVD version of the original presentation, featuring the music of Alfred Reed performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square, is included with the book. 32 page hardcover book with DualDisc - with CD and DVD versions - included in the book.

A Christmas Snow


Jim Stovall - 2010
    Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas, an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her home with two unlikely roommates who bring her face to face with the hurts of her past-and the hope of a happier future.Will she let go of the past and grad hold of a future full of love and forgiveness? Or will she continue to be haunted by her pain as the snow storm of the century brings with it the hope of lasting joy?

Christmas with the Cornish Midwives


Jo Bartlett - 2019
     Anna Jones heads up the busy midwifery unit and barely has time to think about planning her forthcoming Christmas Eve wedding, in between taking care of new-borns and mothers-to-be in the beautiful seaside town she calls home. When she nearly loses her fiancé, Brae, in a freak storm, the wedding takes on a whole new focus and she can’t wait to be part of a family again, after so many Christmases without one. Everything seems to be falling into place and there’s more to celebrate than ever, including a very festive hen night with her close friends from the midwifery unit. But the night before the wedding, disaster strikes and Anna begins to wonder if she’s destined to ever have a happy Christmas again. She doesn’t reckon on the power of Christmas spirit in Port Agnes, though, or the sheer tenacity of her best friend, Ella. Can the community pull off a minor miracle and give one of their midwives the very merry Christmas she deserves? Or are some things simply impossible, even for a Port Agnes Christmas?

Claire's Christmas Dance: A Victorian Christmas Novelette


Rachelle J. Christensen - 2018
     The Fielding House Christmas Ball is for everyone, including servants. This Christmas Eve a lady’s maid, Claire Walden, plans to attend for the first time, but when Mrs. Fielding’s grandson shows up unexpectedly the dance may take a different turn. Edmund is a gentleman of the upper class, but with a questionable background. When he shows an interest in Claire, she doesn’t want to risk her heart, but over time, Claire comes to know Edmund. As the Christmas Eve ball approaches, Claire wonders if love might be able to cross the lines of servants and high society. If she saves a dance for Edmund, will he steal her heart forever?

The Christmas Wish


Shanna Hatfield - 2020
    After an almost five-year absence, he dreads returning to the small eastern Oregon town of Hardman where he grew up. He’d dreamed of raising a family there, and loving his sweetheart until they were both old and gray. But with her gone, the only thing the town can offer him is painful memories.Now that his family needs him, Percy must face the ghosts that continue to haunt him, and make the hard choice of letting go of his past or giving up on his future.Will his return the place he once loved give shattered hearts a chance to heal and make a special Christmas wish come true?Full of small-town characters, sweet romance, Christmas cheer, and second chances, The Christmas Wish offers a heartfelt holiday read sprinkled with humor and hope.

The Christmas Candle


Max Lucado - 2006
    . . except at Christmas time.This year, Edward Haddington, a lowly candle maker, is visited by a mysterious angel. That angel silently imparts a precious gift—a gift that’s bungled and subsequently lost. The candle maker and his wife, Bea, struggle to find the gift.And when they do, they have to make a difficult choice. Who among their community is most in need of a Christmas miracle?Join inspirational author Max Lucado and experience anew the joy of Christmas.BONUS: Includes a sneak preview of Max’s novel, Miracle at the Higher Grounds Café!

Two from Galilee: The Story of Mary and Joseph


Marjorie Holmes - 1972
    Here are Mary and Joseph--a teenage girl and a young carpenter--alone, frightened, in love, faced with family conflict, a hostile world and an awesome responsibility. It is a story for young and old alike; for everyone who finds the Christmas tale a source of timeless beauty and wonder, a compassionate, emotional novel of divine love.

Wishin' and Hopin'


Wally Lamb - 2009
    Poignant and hilarious, in a vein similar to Jean Shepherd’s A Christmas Story and David Sedaris’s The Santaland Diaries, Lamb’s Christmas tale focuses on a feisty parochial school fifth grader named Felix Funicello—a distant cousin of the iconic Annette!

Holiday in Your Heart


LeAnn Rimes - 1997
    She was declared the reincarnation of Patsy Cline, or of a teen star like Tanya Tucker or Brenda Lee.Catapulted into the national limelight, Rimes was profiled everywhere from "People" to "The Wall Street Journal." Now she chronicles the pressured life of a teen-aged singing sensation in this Christmas tale. "Holiday in Your Heart" takes the reader inside a show business world where priorities are often misplaced. But in this magical tale, words of wisdom from an older, more seasoned country star and the pending death of a loved one put the young star's thinking and her heart in the right place.

What Child Is This


Rhys Bowen - 2018
    Their home is gone. They have nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. With only the memories of their greatest loss—the death of their child during a Christmas years before—Jack and Maggie settle in a seemingly deserted mansion for the night.Inside they find shelter, warmth, and a bit of cheer. They also discover a surprise. Now, in the darkest of times, the unexpected compassion of strangers will make this Christmas one to remember forever.

A Christmas Waltz


Josi S. Kilpack - 2020
    Now, dancing the annual Christmas Waltz is a tradition between the pair in which they agree to tell each other the truth about their lives. Over the years that follow, their lives take different directions, wrong turns, and heartbreaking spirals, but they never miss their chance to reconnect and encourage one another to live their best lives, even if they can’t live them side by side. Other books by Josi S. KilpackA Country ChristmasAutumn MasqueradeA Heart RevealedForever and ForeverPromises and PrimrosesDaisies and DevotionRakes and Roses

47 Ronin


Dimetrios C. Manolatos - 2010
    We are born and raised to serve our lord and shogun. Our code dictates selflessness and death to be more honorable than failure, whether on the battlefield or even over the most insignificant dispute.In eighteenth-century Japan, the lord of a samurai clan is sentenced to death for an assault on castle grounds. As dictated by law, the clan must exact revenge on the one responsible for their lord’s death. However due to circumstances, the shogun forbids any such act, placing a band of masterless samurai at odds with themselves and the martial code by which they live and die. After much trial and hardship, the clan does the unthinkable and defies the shogun’s mandate in order to fulfill their duty to their late lord. In doing so, these legendary warriors will be forever remembered for inspiring the Way of the Warrior back into the hearts of their countrymen.If you like historical novels set in old Japan, martial arts action adventure stories or samurai films, discover 47 Ronin.

Ruth Appleby


Elvi Rhodes - 1987
    Life, as the daughter of a Victorian millhand, had never been easy, but now she was mother and housekeeper both to the little family left behind. As one tribulation after another beset her life, so a longing, a determination grew - to venture out into a new world of independence and adventure, and when the chance came she seized it. America, even on the brink of civil war, was to offer a challenge that Ruth was ready to accept, and a love, not easy, but glorious and triumphant. A giant of a book - about a woman who gave herself unstintingly - in love, in war, in the embracing of a new life in a vibrant land.

Pride and Prejudice


Beth Johnson - 1813
    He falls in love with Jane, the oldest Bennet girl. Everything goes well—for a while. Then the handsome bachelor’s proud best friend, Mr. Darcy, ruins everything.Elizabeth Bennet has never hated anyone as much as she hates Mr. Darcy. How could she ever forgive the man who has ruined her sister’s happiness? She knows everything she needs to know about him. He is proud, hateful, conceited, and horrid—and he wants to marry her.Elizabeth and Darcy’s memorable, witty battle of hearts and minds has made Pride and Prejudice a readers’ favorite for almost two hundred years.Readability Note: This Townsend Library Classic has been carefully edited for clarity and readability.Source: townsendpress.com